


Nothing is Accidental

by kayxpc



Category: Raven Cycle - Maggie Stiefvater
Genre: Boys In Love, Fluff, M/M, Sleeping Together, mentions of Robert Parrish but it's v brief, mostly flufffffff, pynch - Freeform
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-03-07
Updated: 2017-03-07
Packaged: 2018-09-30 06:48:32
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,268
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10156601
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/kayxpc/pseuds/kayxpc





	

There are two types of people. Heavy sleepers, and Adam Parrish.

Ronan; Adam.

Then again, Ronan was probably dreaming entire galaxies on any given night. When Adam lay awake he was happy to imagine the beautiful things happening next to him, to watch his boyfriend's chest rise and fall slowly. Ronan's shirt never made it to bed with him and if he laid on his stomach Adam could trace the intricacies of his tattoo. If not, he was still pleased with the way Ronan's ribs peeked out on a deep inhale, the way his nipples always pebbled in the cold air of the bedroom.

Adam wasn't bothered by lack of sleep; by now he was very well acquainted with exhaustion. Whether it be from his anxiety or fresh injuries keeping him up. He had always been a light sleeper. As a kid, he thought if he could get out of bed quick enough when he heard the front door open, his father might not get to him. When his father came home wasted and ready to fight, Adam learned to be ready.

Ronan made sure that was no longer a problem for him.

Ronan, dreamer, greywaren, boyfriend, moved in his sleep a lot. Sometimes he said things, and Adam didn't blame him; if he were dreaming entire forests into existence he'd probably babble too.

He hasn't said anything tonight but Adam was still tracing his fingers over the curve of his bicep. He had every inch of Ronan memorized, every sweet spot, every scar. He had the tiniest one from a kitchen knife, you wouldn't spot it if you didn't know it was there, on the back of his palm. Adam exhaled again and tried to relax, to drift back into unconsciousness. Just before he closed his eyes, Ronan's body jerked slightly. Adam was always anxious when things like that happen because of the other boy's capacity for nightmares. Usually it's pretty easy to tell when it's about to get ugly; this isn't one of those times.

He lays his head back down on Ronan's shoulder. Ronan's hands are tangled loosely together on his chest, they twitch restlessly.

At first, Adam thought he was seeing things. The moonlight was filtering through the small window above Ronan's childhood bed and catching something. It was small, silvery and reflective, metal most likely. Knowing Ronan it could be anything, a tiny speaker to play the murder squash song _anywhere—_ (Adam shuddered). Except that's not what it looks like. Adam reached out to pry the thing from between his fingers, the metal warmer than he expected, from Ronan's hands.

It's exactly what he thought it was.

It's a ring.

A ring.

A fucking _ring_.

 _An engagement ring_.

Adam's heart kicks into overdrive. He sits up near the wall and crosses his legs, cupping his hands around it like he would a baby bird. He fees like he's holding a secret in his palm, like a little world all his own that someone might catch him with. He begins turning it over in his hands, feeling every curve. He didn't dare put it on to see if it fit. He felt a spot rougher than the rest on the inside and found an engraving.

_aeternus et umquam_

Adam rubbed his thumb over the words. The words _forever and ever in Latin._

"Adam?"

Adam jerked so hard at the sound of another voice he almost dropped the ring. Instead his hands flew to his lap to hide this precious thing under the covers. He felt stupid once he'd done it, he shouldn't have even picked it up.

"Adam..." Ronan's voice came again, soft edged the way it always was when he woke up. "...what's wrong baby?"

Adam's eyebrows drew together at that. What did he mean? Ronan answered his unspoken question by cupping his face with one hand and swiping his thumb through the wetness on his cheek. Adam realized he had been crying. He brought his hands up to wipe his eyes. He _was_ crying.

Ronan sat up fully so that he could move closer to him. He took Adam's hand away from his face and Adam remembered why his hands had been buried in the first place.

"That's not...?" Ronan sounded scared as he wiggled the ring out of Adam's grasp. When he finally did, he held it in his palm and looked up at him to gauge his reaction.

"Adam," Ronan said softly, cupping his face in his hands. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to bring it back."

Fresh tears fell as he said it and Adam didn't know why. He just knew that he was feeling... too much. It was overwhelming him; it was Cabeswater's power and Gansey's friendship and his future with Ronan. It was _everything_.

"Please stop crying."

Adam wiped his eyes hastily and sniffled. "I didn't mean to... I couldn't stop myself."

"It's okay. It was an accident," Ronan said soothingly.

Adam sniffled loudly. "Please stop saying that— you're making it worse." He wiped his eyes again harshly, angry with himself.

"What do you mean?"

"That it was an accident."

Ronan's revelation curtained his facial expression. He wrapped his arms around Adam's body, trapping his arms between them but he didn't care so long as he got to hold Adam Parrish right this second.

 _"Baby."_ Ronan pleaded into Adam's ear, making him shiver. He squeezed him tighter and then pulled back to look into his eyes. He held the ring up between them. Adam's lips tugged down when he saw it and that made Ronan's heart shatter into a million pieces.

"This ring was not a mistake. Bringing it back was the mistake. Hey," he wiped away tears as they leaked from Adam's eyes.

"It's just– I saw _a-aeternus et umquam_ ," Ronan looked down at the engraving he knew so well.

"I realized how much I want it." Adam had never really been hopeful, he didn't think. Determined? Ambitious? Yes. Hopeful he'd get a happy ending with the love of his life? Not so much.

"Did you hear me? I said that this was not a mistake." He tilted Adam's chin until they were eye to eye. "You are not a mistake for me Adam."

Ronan climbed off the bed and pulled a tin box out of his sock drawer. He brought it back to Adam and prompted him to open it. They're were probably two dozen rings inside, all glinting prettily in the light. A tear fell into the box from the tip of Adam's nose. Ronan set the box down on the bedside table.

"I plan on marrying you, Adam Parrish. Just not today." Ronan says once he's back on the bed. He ducks his head to press a kiss below Adam's ear, making him shudder.

"You...all those rings...?"

Ronan's eyes were almost closed as he kissed away tears from Adam's cheekbone.

"All for you, baby." He said softly, letting his hand play with the hair at the nape of his neck. "Always for you, Adam."

Adam blinked again as a last tear fell. He brought his hands up to hold Ronan's neck and pressed their foreheads together as he caught his breath. He didn't know how long he'd been holding it.

"I love you," Adam said shakily. Ronan slid his hand around to tilt Adam's chin for a kiss. A kiss that put Adam back together, a kiss that threatened to take him apart again.

" _Ego amabo te usque in sempiternum_ ," Adam said into his mouth.

_I'll love you forever_

Ronan smiled into it, kissing him again.

"I'm counting on it," he replied. 


End file.
